Kentucky Bluegrass, named `Ba74-17`

ABSTRACT

A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out, leaf rust, Fusarium patch and red thread; a dark green color throughout the growing season; the ability to form a medium to high quality turf under a variety of environmental conditions; short growth and a high seed yielding capacity.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poapratensis that has been designated Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Kentucky Bluegrass have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156,issued May 9, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,186, issued May 23, 1972; U.S.Plant Pat. No. 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,280,issued Sep. 6, 1988; U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 6,537 and 6,538, issued onJan. 17, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989; U.S.Plant Pat. No. 7,831, issued Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,490,issued Dec. 7, 1993; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,036, issued Jan. 3, 1995;U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,209, issued Jul. 18, 1995; U.S. Plant Pat. No.9,611, issued Jul. 23, 1996; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,848, issued Apr. 1,1997; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,977, issued Jul. 22, 1997; pending U.S.Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/680,168, filed Jul. 15, 1997;pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/680,167, filed Jul.15, 1997; pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/763,076,filed Dec. 10, 1996.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poapratensis that has been designated Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass.

Ba74-17 plant material was selected from the open pollinated progeny ofPI-1369718, a Kentucky Bluegrass plant grown and maintained in aBreeders Nursey at The Scott Company's Research Station in Marysville,Ohio. After testing and observing the Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrassvariety, it was determined to be a distinct variety, and it wasasexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules, Seed ofBa74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass was produced first at Marysville, Ohio andlater at Gervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performanceevaluation trials and later seed production fields.

In field and laboratory tests, it was demonstrated that Ba74-17 wassignificantly different at the 0.05% level from its female parent,PI-1369718, on the basis of the following characteristics: culm length,panicle length, seed weight, and leaf spot incidence. A comparison ofthe two grasses is given in the following table:

    ______________________________________             Mean Values               Culm    Panicle    Seed               Length  Length     weight                                        Leaf spot    Variety    (cm)    (cm)       (gms) Incidence*    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    33.6    7.7        0.26  7.8    PI 1369718 30.0    7.2        0.21  8.2    ______________________________________     *Leaf spot incidence rated 0-9, 9 = most leaf spot disease

Asexual production of Ba 74-17 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) andby disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) hasconsistantly produced progeny plants indistinguishable from a motherplant Ba 74-17 in regard to characteristics other than those specifiedabove. The apomixis level of Ba74-17 is approximately 95% based uponexamining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlingsfrom different crop years in a growth chamber.

Ba74-17 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including amedium to high level of resistance to Drechslera spp. that causes leafspot, melting out and crown rot, Puccinia spp. that causes rustinfection such as leaf rust, Fusarium spp. that causes Fusarium patchand Laetisaria fuciformis that causes red thread. Ba74-17 is an overallgood turfgrass performer as evidenced by medium to high scores forquality and color. Ba74-17 has a high seed yield potential in theBluegrass seed production region of the northwestern U.S.A.

In comparison with a number of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties,Ba74-17 is slightly above average in seed length and width, and rachillalength and has an average amount of lemma hairs. The panicle is belowaverage in length and width, above average in whorl number, and aboveaverage branch count for both the lower and third whorls. Ba74-17 hasbelow average size spikelets, a significantly lower number of floretsand shorter glumes. The peduncle is below average in length and aboveaverage width, and significantly shorter culm length, below average innode number and internode length. The flag leaf is of average length,width and thickness. The flag leaf ligule is above average in length,has an average amount of hair on the dorsal side of the ligule but belowaverage hair content on the leaf margin. The vegetative leaf is ofaverage length and thickness but the leaf width is significantlynarrower and the ligule is below average in length. The hair content ofthe vegetative leaf is above average for the upper margin of the ligule,and is significantly less on the leaf margin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle during anthesis;

FIG. 2 is a Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass seed; and

FIG. 3 is a Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass plant shortly after completinganthesis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is perennial with creepingrhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in the field underfreezing temperatures and are then brought into the greenhouse duringlate winter to continue growth undisturbed by clipping under moderatetemperatures (60-80 F.), culms are erect averaging 31.0 cm in length and3.1 nodes per culm. The uppermost internode averages 7.6 cm in length.The peduncle average 20.7 cm in length and 0.76 mm in width. Thevegetative leaf averages 19.3 cm in length, 3.0 mm in width, 0.30 mm inthickness and the ligule 0.14 mm in length. The flag leaf averages 4.3cm in length, 3.1 mm in width, 0.20 mm in thickness and a ligule lengthof 1.2 mm.

The panicle averages 75.1 mm in length, 53.4 mm in width, and 9.8whorls. The lowest whorl and the third whorl from the bottom of thepanicle average 3.9 and 3.6 branches, respectively. A spikelet in thelowest whorl averages 4.2 mm in length, 2.1 mm in width, 2.4 florets,the outer and inner glumes average 2.5 mm and 2.9 mm in length,respectively. A spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of thepanicle averages 4.4 mm in length, 2.2 mm in width, 2.1 florets and theouter and inner glumes average 2.5 mm and 2.9 mm in length,respectively.

Conditioned seed of Ba74-17 averages 3.00 mm in length, 0.88 mm inwidth, a rachilla length of 0.83 mm and an average hair content at thebase of the lemma.

Comparisons of Ba74-17 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in termsof seed dimensions and seed numbers per pound are shown in Tables 1 and2 as follows:

                  TABLE 1    ______________________________________    Morphological Comparisons of Seed Length and Width; Rachilla    and Lemma Hairs of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass    Varieties After Conditioning at Marysville, OH.             Seed               Length  Width      Rachilla                                        Lemma    Variety    mm      mm         mm    Hairs*    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    3.00    0.88       0.83  4.4    Abbey      2.97    0.89       0.80  3.8    Adelphi    2.70    0.84       0.65  4.4    Allure     2.78    0.86       0.70  4.7    Ascot      3.00    0.85       0.82  3.9    Baron      3.08    0.81       0.71  5.0    Bristol    2.94    0.88       0.73  4.3    Buckingham 3.23    0.89       0.88  4.2    Cannon     3.00    0.94       0.86  4.9    Chateau    2.81    0.86       0.71  4.5    Coventry   2.71    0.81       0.70  4.0    Eclipse    2.77    0.83       0.68  3.5    Georgetown 2.94    0.82       0.74  4.9    Gnome      2.78    0.83       0.75  4.1    Kelly      3.07    0.89       0.75  4.2    Midnight   2.94    0.76       0.78  5.7    Nassau     3.07    0.86       0.68  3.4    Nottingham 3.05    0.88       0.82  3.8    Ram 1      3.23    0.89       0.80  6.0    Touchdown  2.93    0.88       0.41  4.6    Victa      3.00    0.80       0.82  3.5    Viva       3.04    0.91       0.84  4.4    LSD (.05)  0.16    0.05       0.13  0.86    ______________________________________     *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs

                  TABLE 2    ______________________________________    Comparisons of Seeds Per Pound of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning.    Variety       Seeds Per Pound    ______________________________________    Ba74-17       1,128,600    Ba78-258      1,127,000    Ba78-165      965,500    Abbey         988,500    Buckingham    978,000    Cannon        1,023,250    Coventry      1,374,750    Garfield      1,250,500    Newport       1,250,250    Viva          993,500    LSD (.05)     77,042    ______________________________________

Ba74-17 differs significantly from several of the other KentuckyBluegrass varieties in regard to the following morphologicalcharacteristics: (1) the culm length and number of nodes per culm; (2)the number of florets in both the lowest and third whorl; (3) the lengthof the outer glumes in the third whorl; and (4) vegetative leaf length,ligule length and leaf margin hairs. Since environmental conditions suchas soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to someextent comparisons of Ba74-17 were made with other Kentucky Bluegrassvarieties and the comparisons are set forth in Tables 3-8:

                  TABLE 3    ______________________________________    Morphological Comparison of Panicles, Whorl Number and Whorl    Branches of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the    Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                             Number    Panicles                 of Branches                     Length  Width Whorl Lowest                                               Third    Variety Nodding* (mm)    (mm)  Number                                         Whorl Whorl    ______________________________________    Ba74-17 1.3      75.1    53.4  9.8   3.9   3.6    Abbey   1.6      80.4    59.3  9.3   3.8   3.3    Adelphi 1.8      106.8   76.4  10.0  3.6   3.0    Allure  2.2      60.8    47.6  8.4   3.9   3.0    Ascot   2.4      77.1    66.0  9.2   2.3   2.1    Baron   2.2      92.6    71.0  10.0  3.4   2.8    Bristol 2.0      85.5    61.5  8.4   2.8   2.7    Buckingham            2.0      88.8    62.0  9.3   2.1   2.1    Cannon  1.1      80.2    55.3  9.8   4.1   3.9    Chateau 2.9      65.2    57.3  8.5   3.3   2.8    Coventry            2.5      64.0    54.2  8.4   3.3   2.5    Eclipse 1.3      89.2    74.0  10.7  3.3   2.1    Georgetown            1.0      80.0    57.0  7.4   2.1   2.6    Gnome   1.1      80.6    56.0  10.6  4.6   3.9    Kelly   2.0      88.0    70.2  9.8   4.6   3.7    Midnight            2.0      75.8    48.4  7.1   2.9   3.0    Nassau  2.2      91.2    68.6  10.0  2.5   2.1    Nottingham            1.2      77.5    56.1  8.7   4.0   3.5    Ram 1   1.3      67.7    47.0  7.3   3.0   3.2    Touchdown            1.1      73.1    75.0  7.6   2.1   2.3    Victa   1.7      74.9    58.3  10.0  4.7   3.5    Viva    1.6      88.8    68.4  8.8   4.3   3.7    LSD (.05)            0.68     7.35    8.62  0.66  0.72  0.50    ______________________________________     *Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = most nodding

                  TABLE 4    ______________________________________    Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba74-17 and    Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH.                             Number           Spikelets         of Florets           Lowest Whorl                     Third Whorl Per Spikelet             Length  Width   Length                                   Width Lowest                                               Third    Variety  mm      mm      mm    mm    Whorl Whorl    ______________________________________    Ba74-17  4.2     2.1     4.4   2.2   2.4   2.1    Abbey    4.4     2.2     4.5   2.2   3.0   3.0    Adelphi  4.6     2.2     4.8   2.2   4.4   4.4    Allure   4.3     2.2     4.3   2.2   3.4   3.2    Ascot    5.4     2.6     5.3   2.9   3.1   3.1    Baron    5.4     2.8     5.4   3.1   4.0   4.2    Bristol  4.9     2.4     5.0   2.5   4.2   4.5    Buckingham             5.6     3.2     5.6   3.3   4.1   4.1    Cannon   4.7     2.4     4.6   2.6   2.7   2.7    Chateau  4.4     2.4     4.4   2.4   3.4   3.5    Coventry 4.4     2.2     4.5   2.4   3.2   3.5    Eclipse  4.6     2.4     4.6   2.4   3.6   3.6    Georgetown             5.0     2.3     5.0   2.6   4.8   4.9    Gnome    4.6     2.5     4.6   2.9   3.2   3.2    Kelly    5.1     2.5     5.2   2.8   3.7   3.8    Midnight 5.3     2.5     5.5   2.4   4.4   4.7    Nassau   4.7     2.6     4.8   3.0   4.2   4.3    Nottingham             4.6     2.5     4.8   2.6   3.3   3.4    Ram 1    5.4     2.6     5.3   2.8   3.6   3.4    Touchdown             5.1     2.9     4.8   2.8   4.1   4.0    Victa    4.5     2.5     4.5   2.4   3.3   3.2    Viva     4.6     2.5     4.7   2.6   2.6   2.8    LSD (.05)             0.41    0.35    0.38  0.35  0.58  0.3    ______________________________________

                  TABLE 5    ______________________________________    Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba74-17 and Other    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,    ______________________________________    OH             Glume Length (mm)             Outer            Inner               Lowest  Third      Lowest                                        Third    Variety    Whorl   Whorl      Whorl Whorl    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    2.5     2.5        2.9   2.9    Abbey      2.7     2.7        3.1   3.1    Adelphi    2.7     2.6        3.0   3.1    Allure     2.6     2.7        3.0   3.0    Ascot      3.7     3.7        4.1   4.0    Baron      3.1     3.2        3.6   3.7    Bristol    2.8     3.0        3.3   3.4    Buckingham 3.5     3.3        3.9   3.8    Cannon     2.8     2.9        3.2   3.1    Chateau    2.8     2.9        3.1   3.2    Coventry   2.7     2.8        3.1   3.1    Eclipse    3.0     3.0        3.4   3.4    Georgetown 2.8     2.8        3.1   3.1    Gnome      2.8     2.9        3.3   3.3    Kelly      3.0     3.1        3.4   3.5    Midnight   2.6     2.6        3.0   3.1    Nassau     2.6     2.7        2.9   3.0    Nottingham 2.7     2.8        3.3   3.3    Ram 1      2.9     3.0        3.6   3.5    Touchdown  3.3     3.3        3.8   3.8    Victa      2.8     2.7        3.1   3.1    Viva       2.8     2.8        3.2   3.1    LSD (.05)  0.23    0.22       0.22  0.23    ______________________________________              Glume Hairs*              Lowest Whorl     Third Whorl    Variety     Outer   Inner      Outer                                        Inner    ______________________________________    Ba74-17     1.3     3.0        1.9  2.9    Abbey       0.6     0.9        1.0  1.0    Adelphi     0.6     2.7        1.1  1.9    Allure      2.5     3.0        2.5  2.5    Ascot       2.1     3.0        2.0  2.3    Baron       4.8     4.4        4.2  4.6    Bristol     1.0     2.2        0.8  2.2    Buckingham  2.6     3.2        2.2  2.8    Cannon      1.7     2.3        2.1  2.3    Chateau     1.5     2.6        2.0  1.8    Coventry    1.5     2.7        1.6  2.4    Eclipse     1.5     1.9        1.8  1.9    Georgetown  1.7     2.7        1.2  2.4    Gnome       1.0     1.9        1.2  1.6    Kelly       1.3     1.5        1.1  0.8    Midnight    1.8     2.8        1.0  2.4    Nassau      2.1     2.6        4.2  4.4    Nottingham  2.4     2.2        1.9  2.1    Ram 1       1.1     2.3        0.7  1.2    Touchdown   0.7     2.1        1.1  1.4    Victa       0.8     1.1        1.1  1.3    Viva        1.7     1.3        1.3  2.0    LSD (.05)   0.9     0.9        0.9  0.9    ______________________________________     *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs

                  TABLE 6    ______________________________________    Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves of Ba74-17 and Other    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,    ______________________________________    OH    Leaves            Length   Width    Thickness    Variety cm       mm       mm      Angle  Curve    ______________________________________    Ba74-17 4.3      3.1      0.20    1.2    5.0    Abbey   3.8      3.4      0.14    2.7    4.1    Adelphi 5.7      3.4      0.18    5.2    5.0    Allure  3.8      2.9      0.21    1.0    4.9    Ascot   4.7      3.5      0.29    2.1    4.5    Baron   7.0      4.2      0.15    9.2    4.4    Bristol 4.3      3.2      0.21    2.3    5.0    Buckingham            5.3      3.4      0.23    1.4    5.0    Cannon  4.3      3.5      0.22    1.9    5.0    Chateau 4.0      2.7      0.19    3.4    2.0    Coventry            3.7      3.0      0.14    0.7    4.3    Eclipse 3.9      3.2      0.19    8.7    5.0    Georgetown            5.7      2.8      0.22    1.9    5.0    Gnome   4.5      3.5      0.18    4.3    5.0    Kelly   4.8      4.1      0.18    3.1    4.4    Midnight            3.8      2.6      0.19    1.1    5.0    Nassau  6.0      3.7      0.19    5.9    4.7    Nottingham            4.3      3.7      0.22    2.0    4.6    Ram 1   3.4      3.1      0.19    1.0    4.8    Touchdown            4.1      2.7      0.16    3.4    4.1    Victa   3.9      3.7      0.27    2.1    4.6    Viva    4.5      3.6      0.18    5.1    4.4    LSD (.05)            1.0      0.42     0.02    2.50   0.44    ______________________________________             Hairs*               Ligule  Leaf             Sheath    Variety    mm      Margin     Ligule                                        Color**    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    1.2     0.2        2.8   2.0    Abbey      1.3     0.8        1.6   0.2    Adelphi    1.1     1.8        1.6   0.4    Allure     0.8     0.4        2.3   2.0    Ascot      1.5     0.6        0.7   0.9    Baron      1.2     1.0        3.8   2.6    Bristol    0.6     0.4        1.9   2.0    Buckingham 1.2     0.5        2.1   1.8    Cannon     1.3     0.4        3.6   1.5    Chateau    0.9     1.1        3.1   0.3    Coventry   0.9     0.8        1.7   2.0    Eclipse    1.1     1.0        1.0   0.2    Georgetown 0.6     0.6        2.0   2.0    Gnome      0.8     0.9        3.2   1.5    Kelly      1.5     1.1        2.5   2.2    Midnight   30.4    0.4        0.3   2.0    Nassau     1.1     2.6        2.4   0.8    Nottingham 1.3     1.5        2.3   1.8    Ram 1      0.7     0.5        1.3   2.0    Touchdown  1.1     1.0        1.0   7.7    Victa      1.3     1.0        0.8   0.5    Viva       1.5     0.4        2.2   0.5    LSD (.05)  0.17    0.50       0.70  0.76    ______________________________________     *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs     **Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most color

                  TABLE 7    ______________________________________    Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Nodes Per Culm    and Top Internode Length of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH    Peduncle         Culm              Top            Length   Width   Length Nodes  Internode    Variety cm       mm      cm     Per Culm                                           length (cm)    ______________________________________    Ba74-17 20.7     0.76    31.0   3.1    7.6    Abbey   23.2     0.65    41.3   4.1    11.0    Adelphi 24.5     0.66    40.0   4.0    10.4    Allure  17.9     0.61    28.0   3.1    7.7    Ascot   20.0     0.64    36.3   3.0    12.7    Baron   34.0     0.70    52.8   4.2    12.8    Bristol 22.9     0.73    43.5   4.0    12.6    Buckingham            24.7     0.71    44.9   3.7    13.4    Cannon  24.3     0.81    39.5   3.1    10.8    Chateau 20.7     0.61    38.9   4.4    9.9    Coventry            19.6     0.49    34.7   4.5    7.9    Eclipse 23.7     0.66    39.2   4.9    9.9    Georgetown            21.7     0.68    37.5   3.2    11.1    Gnome   19.4     0.84    35.3   3.1    9.2    Kelly   29.4     0.75    46.6   3.6    11.8    Midnight            20.5     0.72    29.5   2.8    7.6    Nassau  25.0     0.66    36.0   3.9    7.4    Nottingham            26.9     0.82    39.7   2.9    9.7    Ram 1   22.2     0.69    30.5   2.5    6.6    Touchdown            23.6     0.52    38.0   4.0    8.4    Victa   21.2     0.81    37.9   3.7    10.3    Viva    26.4     0.70    42.7   4.1    9.2    LSD (.05)            3.2      0.08    3.3    0.4    1.9    ______________________________________

                  TABLE 8    ______________________________________    Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves of Ba74-17 and Other    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,    ______________________________________    OH    Leaf            Length   Width    Thickness    Variety cm       mm       mm     Angle* Curve***    ______________________________________    Ba74-17 19.3     3.0      0.30   51.9   7.3    Abbey   20.7     3.6      0.28   51.3   7.4    Adelphi 19.4     3.7      0.28   67.0   4.6    Allure  18.1     3.5      0.30   53.0   6.2    Ascot   17.4     3.4      0.35   67.9   5.5    Baron   18.2     4.3      0.29   35.0   4.4    Bristol 18.2     3.7      0.32   65.5   6.9    Buckingham            18.9     4.5      0.36   50.9   5.0    Cannon  22.1     3.3      0.30   62.5   8.2    Chateau 23.1     3.3      0.33   39.7   5.4    Coventry            23.4     3.6      0.25   63.0   7.3    Eclipse 20.3     4.4      0.30   65.5   5.4    Georgetown            19.5     3.6      0.29   56.7   5.8    Gnome   18.2     2.9      0.29   43.2   6.6    Kelly   22.8     3.9      0.30   55.5   7.0    Midnight            19.5     3.5      0.31   63.3   5.0    Nassau  16.3     3.7      0.29   63.2   4.9    Nottingham            18.6     3.8      0.34   61.6   7.7    Ram 1   19.1     3.6      0.27   70.8   6.5    Touchdown            16.7     3.7      0.24   51.3   4.0    Victa   21.5     3.6      0.36   56.3   6.7    Viva    22.9     3.8      0.40   53.0   7.1    LSD (.05)            3.5      0.43     0.04   15.9   1.5    ______________________________________             Ligule     Hairs***               Length  Leaf      Leaf  Color***    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    0.14    3.5       0.9   2.0    Abbey      0.32    4.4       2.8   0.0    Adelphi    0.34    2.6       3.4   0.0    Allure     0.14    2.0       1.6   1.9    Ascot      0.22    1.5       2.0   1.4    Baron      0.33    4.6       3.6   0.4    Bristol    0.12    2.6       3.0   2.0    Buckingham 0.14    3.3       2.6   2.0    Cannon     0.16    3.2       0.7   2.0    Chateau    0.22    3.3       3.1   0.5    Coventry   0.32    3.1       2.4   0.3    Eclipse    0.38    2.8       2.6   0.2    Georgetown 0.14    2.5       2.4   2.0    Gnome      0.23    1.6       0.8   1.4    Kelly      0.34    4.6       2.4   0.0    Midnight   0.10    1.3       1.6   2.0    Nassau     0.34    2.5       3.3   1.4    Nottingham 0.21    3.1       2.0   1.4    Ram 1      0.09    1.8       1.0   2.0    Touchdown  0.29    1.4       1.3   8.0    Victa      0.26    2.3       1.7   0.1    Viva       0.23    5.2       4.2   0.0    LSD (.05)  0.04    0.8       0.6   0.6    ______________________________________     *Leaf Angle: Degrees from stem     **Leaf Curve: 1-9; 1-4 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 6-9  = curves down     ***Leaf Hairs: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many     ****Sheath Color: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many

With regard to comparative analysis conducted for purposes ofdetermining color of Ba74-17 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrassvarieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba74-17 duringmid-October while the turf was actively growing with adequate nutrientand water availability. The readings were taken in full sun with severalactively growing leaves being compared, one at a time, utilizing colorchips from the Munsell Book of Color as a reference. On this basis, thecolor of Ba74-17 was determined to be 5 GY 4/6. During the same timeperiod, the color of similar leaves of other Kentucky Bluegrassvarieties were determined by the same procedure to be as follows:Ascot--5 GY 4/4; Buckingham--7.5 GY 4/4; Ba77-700--5 GY 4/6;Midnight--7.5 GY 4/4; Abbey--5 GY 4/6; and and Victa--5 GY 4/4. However,it should be noted that the general apparent color of turf does notalways correlate directly with the color of the individual activelygrowing leaves within the turf and that turf color varies with nutrientlevel and time of year with some varieties being darker or lighter greendepending on such factors.

Comparisons of Ba74-17 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties forquality, genetic color, spring greenup, winter color, leaf texture,percent living ground, drought tolerance, canopy height, nitrogendeficiency, flood recovery and seedheads are set forth hereinafter inTables 9-20.

                  TABLE 9    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Quality of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance in Five (5) Tests    A-E conducted at various Locations in the US.             TESTS (Mean Values)    Variety    A        B      C       D    E    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    5.3      4.9    4.4     4.6  3.9    Baron      5.3      5.0    4.5     4.6  4.1    Gnome      5.2      4.6    4.4     4.7  4.1    Haga       5.3      4.8    4.6     4.5  4.1    Kenblue    4.5      4.2    4.3     4.0  3.3    Liberty    5.2      5.0    4.5     4.4  3.9    Merion     4.3      4.6    4.2     4.5  3.9    Merit      5.4      4.9    4.5     4.6  4.1    Midnight   5.7      5.6    4.7     4.9  4.2    Monopoly   5.2      5.0    4.6     4.9  4.0    Park       4.6      4.2    4.1     4.1  3.8    Ram 1      5.5      5.1    4.7     4.9  4.6    South Dakota               4.1      3.9    3.9     3.9  3.3    LSD (0.05) 0.3      0.3    0.3     0.3  0.4    ______________________________________     Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf

                  TABLE 10    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Quality of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Four (4)    Locations in the US.           Test Locations             Rathdrum  St. Louis                                Pittstown                                         Washington    Variety  Idaho     Missouri New Jersey                                         DC    ______________________________________    Ba74-17  6.3       6.4      6.4      4.1    Baron    6.5       6.6      6.0      3.1    Gnome    6.1       6.3      5.7      3.1    Haga     6.7       6.0      5.1      3.2    Kenblue  4.5       5.1      3.7      3.2    Liberty  6.6       6.1      5.3      3.4    Merion   5.9       6.1      3.4      1.7    Merit    6.4       6.5      6.0      3.3    Midnight 7.2       7.8      6.7      2.4    Monopoly 4.9       5.5      4.8      3.9    Park     4.6       5.0      3.9      3.3    Ram 1    7.1       6.9      6.2      2.8    South Dakota             4.0       4.5      3.5      2.3    LSD (0.05)             0.9       0.8      0.7      1.0    ______________________________________     Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf

                  TABLE 11    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Seven (7) Locations in US.    Color Ratings By Locations            Rath-  St.          North  Marys-                                             Univ.                                                  Nor-            drum   Louis  Lincoln                                Brunswick                                       ville Park ton    Variety ID     MO     NE    NJ     OH    PA   VA    ______________________________________    74-17   7.2    6.7    6.4   7.0    7.2   6.4  6.3    Baron   6.0    6.9    6.4   6.3    7.5   6.3  6.5    Gnome   6.8    6.7    6.6   5.3    7.5   6.1  6.7    Haga    3.3    5.6    5.8   4.3    6.3   5.4  5.0    Kenblue 4.5    6.2    5.6   3.7    7.2   5.7  3.7    Liberty 6.0    6.6    6.0   5.3    7.0   5.8  5.7    Merion  5.7    6.3    5.8   5.3    7.0   5.8  5.0    Merit   6.5    6.6    6.4   5.7    7.2   6.2  6.7    Midnight            7.3    7.3    7.4   7.3    8.2   8.0  7.2    Monopoly            2.3    5.8    5.4   3.7    6.0   4.9  5.0    Park    4.0    5.3    5.3   3.0    6.5   4.9  4.0    Ram 1   7.2    7.2    6.0   6.0    7.3   6.1  5.8    South   4.8    5.8    5.2   3.7    7.0   5.9  4.3    LSD (0.05)            1.6    1.0    0.7   1.2    0.5   0.9  0.9    ______________________________________     Genetic Color Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Dark

                  TABLE 12    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Spring Greenup Ba74-17 and Other    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance    at Two (2) locations in the US.    Variety       Rathdrum ID                            Univ. Park, PA    ______________________________________    Ba74-17       7.0       3.3    Baron         6.3       2.7    Gnome         6.0       3.0    Haga          5.3       2.3    Kenblue       2.7       1.3    Liberty       5.7       2.3    Merion        7.7       3.3    Merit         6.3       2.7    Midnight      8.3       2.3    Monopoly      2.7       1.7    Park          3.3       2.3    Ram 1         7.0       1.0    South Dakota  3.0       1.3    LSD (0.05)    1.8       0.8    ______________________________________     Spring Greenup Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Completely Green

                  TABLE 13    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Winter Color of Ba74-17 and Other    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low maintenance at Rathdrum, ID                    Winter           Variety  Color    ______________________________________           Ba74-17  7.0           Baron    6.3           Gnome    6.7           Haga     6.3           Kenblue  3.7           Liberty  6.7           Merion   7.7           Merit    7.0           Midnight 8.3           Monopoly 3.7           Park     5.3           Ram 1    7.7           South Dakota                    3.7           LSD (0.05)                    1.5    ______________________________________     Winter Color Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Complete Color Retention

                  TABLE 14    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba74-17 and Other    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at    Two (2) Locations in the US.                    Rathdrum St. Louis    Variety         ID       MO    ______________________________________    Ba74-17         6.3      5.3    Baron           5.7      5.8    Gnome           6.0      5.3    Haga            6.7      6.2    Kenblue         9.0      7.8    Liberty         7.3      5.9    Merion          6.0      5.5    Merit           5.7      5.1    Midnight        8.3      6.3    Monopoly        6.3      5.8    Park            8.0      6.7    Ram 1           7.3      6.4    South Dakota    8.3      6.8    LSD (0.05)      1.1      0.8    ______________________________________     Leaf Texture Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine

                  TABLE 15    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Percent Living Ground Cover in Spring of Ba74-17    and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at    the Washington Monument Grounds, DC.    Variety        % Cover    ______________________________________    Ba74-17        41.7    Baron          25.0    Gnome          31.7    Haga           48.3    Kenblue        33.3    Liberty        43.3    Merion         10.0    Merit          20.0    Midnight       21.7    Monopoly       53.3    Park           33.3    Ram 1          36.7    South Dakota   11.7    LSD (0.05)     23.2    ______________________________________

                  TABLE 16    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Drought Tolerance (Dormancy) of Ba74-17 and    Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at    Beltsville, MD and Hubbard, OR.                    Beltsville                             Hubbard    Variety         MD       OR    ______________________________________    Ba74-17         6.3      5.3    Baron           4.7      2.0    Gnome           5.3      3.0    Haga            5.3      2.0    Kenblue         4.0      2.7    Liberty         3.0      3.0    Merion          6.0      4.7    Merit           5.7      4.0    Midnight        6.7      3.0    Monopoly        5.7      3.0    Park            4.7      3.3    Ram 1           5.7      4.0    South Dakota    5.7      3.7    LSD (0.05)      2.0      2.2    ______________________________________     Dormancy Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Dormancy

                  TABLE 17    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Canopy Height    in Inches of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at University Park, PA.    Variety       Height in Inches    ______________________________________    Ba74-17       4.5    Baron         5.0    Gnome         5.2    Haga          6.2    Kenblue       7.3    Liberty       4.5    Merion        4.3    Merit         4.5    Midnight      3.2    Monopoly      7.0    Park          7.3    Ram 1         5.2    South Dakota  6.3    LSD (0.05)    1.4    ______________________________________

                  TABLE 18    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Nitrogen    Deficiency Ratings of Ba74-17 and Other    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Rathdrum, ID.    Variety       Nitrogen Deficiency    ______________________________________    Ba74-17       6.3    Baron         6.3    Gnome         6.7    Haga          5.0    Kenblue       1.7    Liberty       6.7    Merion        3.7    Merit         5.3    Midnight      7.0    Monopoly      5.3    Park          4.0    Ram 1         7.3    South Dakota  1.7    LSD (0.05)    2.1    ______________________________________     Nitrogen Deficiency Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no symptoms

                  TABLE 19    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Flood Recovery    Ratings of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Lincoln, NE.    Variety       Flood Recovery    ______________________________________    Ba74-17       5.7    Baron         3.3    Gnome         4.0    Haga          1.7    Kenblue       2.3    Liberty       3.3    Merion        5.3    Merit         4.0    Midnight      4.3    Monopoly      1.7    Park          1.7    Ram 1         2.3    South Dakota  2.0    LSD (0.05)    3.2    ______________________________________     Flood Recovery Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = best

                  TABLE 20    ______________________________________    A Comparison of    Seedheads of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at North Brunswick, NJ.    Variety        Seedheads    ______________________________________    Ba74-17        2.3    Baron          3.0    Gnome          3.7    Haga           4.7    Kenblue        9.0    Liberty        4.0    Merion         4.0    Merit          2.0    Midnight       9.0    Monopoly       6.0    Park           9.0    Ram 1          6.3    South Dakota   8.7    LSD (0.05)     1.8    ______________________________________     Seedhead Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = none

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turfperformance. Ba74-17 has been found to have a medium to high level ofresistance to the following diseases: (a) leaf spot and melting outcaused by Drechslera poae formerly called Helminthosporium vagans; (b)diseases such as leaf rust caused by Puccinia spp; (c) Fusarium patchcaused by Fusarium spp; and (d) red thread caused by Laetisariafuciformis.

Compounds of disease incidence of Ba74-17 as compared with otherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in regard to leaf spot, melting out, leafrust, Fusarium patch and red thread are presented in Tables 21-26.

                  TABLE 21    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Leaf Spot Incidence    of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass    Varieties under Low Maintenance at Five (5) Locations in the US.           N. Brunswick                      Pittstown                               Marysville                                      Beltsville                                             Norton    Variety           NJ          NJ      OH     MD     VA    ______________________________________    Ba74-17           4.7        5.7      6.0    4.0    5.7    Baron  4.7        5.3      6.7    4.0    4.0    Gnome  3.7        4.0      6.3    3.3    4.7    Haga   2.7        3.3      6.3    3.3    4.3    Kenblue           1.0        1.0      3.3    1.3    2.3    Liberty           4.7        4.7      7.3    3.7    5.7    Merion 5.7        6.3      6.0    3.3    6.0    Merit  4.3        4.7      6.7    4.3    5.0    Midnight           7.7        7.3      7.7    6.7    6.3    Monopoly           3.3        3.3      5.7    3.7    4.0    Park   2.0        2.7      4.0    2.0    3.7    Ram 1  4.3        3.7      6.7    4.7    4.3    South  1.0        1.3      3.3    1.0    4.0    LSD (0.05)           1.4        1.5      1.0    1.2    1.7    ______________________________________     Leaf Spot Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease

                  TABLE 22    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Leaf Spot Incidence    of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass    Varieties under Low Maintenance at Pittstown, NJ and Ithaca, NY    Variety        Pittstown NJ                              Ithaca NY    ______________________________________    Ba74-17        5.7        9.0    Baron          5.3        9.0    Gnome          4.0        9.0    Haga           3.3        8.0    Kenblue        1.0        1.3    Liberty        4.7        8.3    Merion         6.3        8.0    Merit          4.7        7.3    Midnight       7.3        9.0    Monopoly       3.3        5.0    Park           2.7        2.3    Ram 1          3.7        3.7    South Dakota   1.3        4.3    LSD (0.05)     1.5        2.7    ______________________________________     Leaf Spot Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease

                  TABLE 23    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Melting Out    Incidence of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Rathdrum, ID.    Variety        Melting Out    ______________________________________    Ba74-17        6.0    Baron          7.0    Gnome          5.3    Haga           6.3    Kenblue        4.0    Liberty        6.3    Merion         6.0    Merit          6.7    Midnight       8.0    Monopoly       5.0    Park           4.3    Ram 1          8.0    South Dakota   4.0    LSD (0.05)     1.5    ______________________________________     Melting Out Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Damage

                  TABLE 24    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Leaf Rust    Incidence of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Rathdrum, ID.    Variety        Leaf Rust    ______________________________________    Ba74-17        7.3    Baron          6.0    Gnome          8.0    Haga           5.7    Kenblue        4.3    Liberty        6.5    Merion         3.7    Merit          6.3    Midnight       5.7    Monopoly       3.0    Park           2.7    Ram 1          7.7    South Dakota   3.7    LSD (0.05)     1.7    ______________________________________     Leaf Rust Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease

                  TABLE 25    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Fusarium Patch    Incidence of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Rathdrum, ID.    Variety        Fusarium Patch    ______________________________________    Ba74-17        5.7    Baron          4.3    Gnome          6.0    Haga           4.7    Kenblue        2.3    Liberty        6.0    Merion         3.3    Merit          5.7    Midnight       4.7    Monopoly       3.3    Park           1.7    Ram 1          6.0    South Dakota   2.7    LSD (0.05)     1.8    ______________________________________     Fusarium Patch Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease

                  TABLE 26    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Red Thread    Incidence of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass    Varieties under Low Maintenance at Kingston, RI and Marysville, OH.    Variety        Kingston RI                             Marysville OH    ______________________________________    Ba74-17        7.0       8.0    Baron          7.0       7.7    Gnome          5.7       8.0    Haga           6.3       8.0    Kenblue        3.7       4.7    Liberty        7.7       8.0    Merion         8.3       7.7    Merit          7.0       8.0    Midnight       6.3       7.7    Monopoly       6.0       7.7    Park           6.0       6.0    Ram 1          7.3       7.3    South Dakota   6.7       7.7    LSD (0.05)     2.1       1.2    ______________________________________     Red Thread Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease

Additional comparisons for mature plant height, vegetative growth versusseed heads, panicle length, days to heading, days to anthesis and seedyields are presented in Tables 27-32.

                  TABLE 27    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Mature Plant Height    of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.           Variety Height cm    ______________________________________           Ba74-17 62.2           Ba78-258                   60.3           Ba77-700                   60.0           Ba78-165                   53.4           Abbey   65.0           Allure  53.0           Ascot   56.0           Bristol 69.4           Buckingham                   66.8           Cannon  68.4           Chateau 60.2           Coventry                   62.4           Estate  57.4           Fairfax 60.6           Gnome   60.8           Kelly   65.2           Newport 74.9           Victa   68.2           Viva    61.6           LSD (0.05)                    8.7    ______________________________________

                  TABLE 28    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Vegetative Growth Versus Seed Heads    of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.    Variety    Vegatative Growth vs Seed Heads    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    5.6    Ba78-258   6.9    Ba77-700   7.2    Ba78-165   5.8    Abbey      5.8    Allure     7.2    Ascot      4.2    Bristol    6.0    Buckingham 5.6    Cannon     8.0    Chateau    6.8    Coventry   8.0    Estate     8.6    Fairfax    7.2    Gnome      6.6    Kelly      4.8    Newport    3.4    Victa      7.8    Viva       7.2    LSD (0.05) 1.8    ______________________________________     Vegetative Growth versus Seed Heads Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Most Vegetativ     Growth

                  TABLE 29    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Panicle Length    of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.    Variety      Panicle Length (cm)    ______________________________________    Ba74-17      9.3    Ba78-258     11.1    Ba77-700     8.9    Ba78-165     8.6    Abbey        10.4    Allure       7.8    Ascot        9.5    Bristol      13.6    Buckingham   11.9    Cannon       9.9    Chateau      7.7    Coventry     7.8    Estate       8.3    Fairfax      9.1    Gnome        9.7    Kelly        9.7    Newport      10.8    Victa        10.0    Viva         9.8    LSD (0.05)   2.0    ______________________________________

                  TABLE 30    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Days to Heading    of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.             Days to Heading    Variety    First        50%    100%    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    103.0        119.2  122.0    Ba78-258   110.1        125.5  128.1    Ba77-700   109.8        125.4  127.2    Ba78-165   100.2        118.6  121.6    Abbey      108.2        124.2  127.2    Allure     110.6        125.0  126.2    Ascot      88.0         112.0  118.6    Bristol    95.4         118.6  122.2    Buckingham 94.0         112.4  120.0    Cannon     113.4        125.0  127.0    Chateau    106.0        123.8  126.0    Coventry   105.8        122.4  124.6    Estate     105.8        123.8  125.6    Fairfax    102.6        121.6  124.4    Gnome      109.8        125.4  127.2    Kelly      112.2        125.4  127.2    Newport    85.0         109.8  118.2    Victa      111.6        125.0  127.0    Viva       109.4        125.0  127.2    LSD (0.05) 5.3          4.0    1.8    ______________________________________

                  TABLE 31    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Days to Anthesis    of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.             Days to Anthesis    Variety    First        50%    100%    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    125.0        127.0  132.0    Ba78-258   129.1        134.1  137.5    Ba77-700   129.0        134.4  137.8    Ba78-165   124.2        126.2  132.0    Abbey      129.2        132.4  136.6    Allure     127.8        131.0  134.8    Ascot      118.6        123.8  131.8    Bristol    124.6        126.6  132.0    Buckingham 123.4        127.6  133.6    Cannon     129.0        132.2  136.0    Chateau    128.2        130.8  135.2    Coventry   126.6        128.6  134.4    Estate     127.0        129.2  135.2    Fairfax    125.8        128.8  132.8    Gnome      129.0        133.2  136.6    Kelly      129.0        132.8  136.6    Newport    120.4        123.4  131.4    Victa      129.0        132.2  136.0    Viva       129.0        132.8  136.6    LSD (0.05) 2.1          2.5    1.8    ______________________________________

                  TABLE 32    ______________________________________    A Comparison of Seed Yields of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky    Bluegrass Varieties in Three (3) Tests Conducted at Imbler, OR.             Seed Yield (Lb./acre)    Variety    Test 1       Test 2  Test 3    ______________________________________    Ba74-17    1,433        1,238   1,284    Ba78-258   1,377        1,211   1,076    Ba77-700   1,569        1,105   1,156    Abbey      1,549        1,324   1,090    Buckingham   748          923     740    Cannon     1,551        1,130   1,171    Coventry   1,046          839     847    Fairfax    1,159        1,074     766    Viva       1,612        1,111   1,054    LSD (0.05)   160          271     296    ______________________________________

What is claimed is:
 1. A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass, substantially asshown and described, characterized by a medium to high level ofresistance to a broad spectrum of serious diseases including leaf spotand melting out, leaf rust, Fusarium patch and red thread; a dark greencolor throughout the growing season; a medium to high quality turfformation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; short growthand a high level of seed yielding capacity.